The next Bishop of Durham said yesterday that it was "tragic" that the only two avowedly Christian leaders in the west were the ones trying to persuade everyone else to go to war.

"It's bound to look to the rest of the world as if it's Christianity against Islam and is likely to breed a whole new generation of terrorists who regard Christians in general as the enemy," said Canon Tom Wright, whose appointment to the Church of England's fourth most senior position was announced from 10 Downing Street.

Canon Wright, a lifelong Newcastle United supporter who will become the first North-East born Bishop of Durham for more than a century, called upon British Christians to make their views known to Tony Blair.

"There's a massive war propaganda machine in America, and Blair has set his stall out as Bush's friend. Like the American churches, we have to put over a different view.

"The rather ironic thing is that while the Conservative opposition are agreeing with Blair, it's his own back benchers who have to oppose him."

Canon Wright, 54, said also that he believed all homosexual activity among Christians to be wrong and that he would refuse to ordain practising homosexuals - "just as I would a man who was cheating on his wife."

His conviction, he said, was based on careful study of the scriptures and of the traditions of the Church.

"I don't believe that the issue of homosexual priests will split the church, they are just using that as a threat to come round to their point of view.

"In the early church all that pagans knew about the Christians was that they believed in the resurrection and didn't sleep around. We need to remind ourselves of that and not to capitulate to the morals of the street."

Canon Wright, 54, a father-of-four and leading Bible scholar, was born in Morpeth, became Dean of Lichfield and is presently Canon Theologian at Westminster Abbey. He has written more than 30 books.

The Right Reverend Michael Turnbull, who retires as Bishop of Durham on April 30, said that the diocese was fortunate to be gaining "a scholar whose teaching is accessible and orthodox and who is also a warm-hearted person."

The Bishop of Jarrow, the Right Reverend John Pritchard, said that the appointment could not be better for the diocese or the region. "He comes with a huge reputation as a scholar of international distinction."

The new bishop is expected to be enthroned in September.